TIME: Hillary In '08!

HERE’S A PIECE IN TIME THAT MAKES SEVERAL INTERESTING POINTS.

You may be suffering from cognitive dissonance at this point. What’s this? Liberal bastion Time Magazine stumping against Hillary?

It’s true!

But that’s not what’s interesting. It’s some of the individual points the author makes. For example:

She has a clenched, wary public presence, which won’t work well in an electorate that prizes aw-shucks informality; she isn’t a particularly warm or eloquent speaker, especially in front of large audiences. Any woman running for President will face a toughness conundrum: she will constantly have to prove her strength and be careful about showing her emotions. . . . It will take a brilliant politician to create a credible feminine presidential style. So far, Senator Clinton hasn’t shown the ease or creativity necessary to break the ultimate glass ceiling.

Personally, I’ve been looking forward to the first (PRO-LIFE!) Madame President for the U.S. I’d have no problem voting for any smart, qualified, pro-life candidate for the presidency regardless of his or her sex.

But the Time editorialist has a point: Especially the first few times out, people will look at women running for president with extra scrutiny to see if they have the inner strength to do what is by everyone’s admission a very tough job (especially in today’s threat-filled environment). But in the process of projecting Strength, it can be difficult to also convey the warmth and personableness that Americans also like in their presidents.

The first few women running for president would have extra challenges to face in conveying both strength and warmth in a credible, authentic manner. I certainly can’t see Hillary doing it. Condi might be able to, though it’d be tough even for her (and there’s the problem that she ain’t pro-life, which is an auto-No for me).

Perhaps the best route to the presidency for the first woman to win the office would be to become vice president first, allowing the public long to get to know and get comfortable with her before running for the presidency directly.

Assuming she’s pro-life. Did I mention that?

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

23 thoughts on “TIME: Hillary In '08!”

  2. Hillary Clinton is an autocrat who surrounds herself with sycophantic advisors. It would be disastrous to have her hold the office of the Presidency. Her policies and methods are frightening, and she has absolutely no moral conscience. Her election would be a first step towards dictatorship for this country.

  3. I believe that both the first woman to serve as U.S. president, and the first African American to do so (if those are in fact two different people) will come to office by assuming the office upon the death of the sitting president.

  4. Does anybody know how committed Condi is to the pro-abortion side? After all, her background and passion is first and foremost foreign policy. It makes me question just how strong and well-thought-out her feelings about abortion are, particularly given that she is a Christian. I would so love to see her run for president and win, ASSUMING, like Jimmy said, she’s pro-life.

    Let’s break out those rosaries, folks!!! 🙂

  5. Does anybody know how committed Condi is to the pro-abortion side?

    From the two quotes I’ve seen from her on the issue, not extremely. Back in early 2001 she said that she was “reluctantly” pro-choice and after being nominated for Secretary of State she said she opposed a federal ban of first and second trimester abortion as well as any federal funding of abortion. Where she’s at on states banning abortion, Roe vs. Wade, and judiciary in general I don’t know.

    A Rice candidacy is just a dream by those who want a woman to run as the anti-Hillary, though. She is unmarried and even if there isn’t anything scandal-generating behind that (and in charity I assume there isn’t), no one who’s single is likely to be nominated by a major political party for the presidency.

  6. I’ve also heard some of the more conservative pundits say that Condi hasn’t enough experience -that the presidency isn’t an “entry level position”.

  7. I’ve also heard some of the more conservative pundits say that Condi hasn’t enough experience -that the presidency isn’t an “entry level position”.

    According to one Condi 2008 theory, Cheney will resign in the next year or two and Bush will appoint Condi to replace him, giving her a launching pad for 2008. But Condi won’t run and wouldn’t get nominated anyway without a) getting married and b) backtracking on abortion.

  9. My melodramatic ultra-pessimist timeline for the future of the Republic:

    Hillary runs and wins in 2008.

    Declares herself President for Life in 2017.

    Persecution starts in 2021.

  10. “She [Rice] is unmarried and even if there isn’t anything scandal-generating behind that (and in charity I assume there isn’t), no one who’s single is likely to be nominated by a major political party for the presidency.”

    Publius: If James Buchanan could get himself elected without being married, so could Dr. Rice. But not with my vote unless she either commits to the pro-life platform or her opponent is the worse of two evils.

  11. Has any one considered that these are nothing but suggestions from Hillary’s fan club? “This is what you have to do to win Hill”, they all seem to be saying. It just seems too coincidental; all the columns lately with talking points on how Hillary can’t win. Remember that the MSM is firmly entrenched in her corner.

    I would have no problem voting for a woman for president, but defiantly not her. A clone (not in the literal sense of course) of Margaret Thatcher… I don’t have any idea what here views on abortion are though. I do know she stood shoulder to shoulder with us against the communists and for that I will be forever grateful.

  12. If James Buchanan could get himself elected without being married, so could Dr. Rice.

    Buchanan was elected in 1856 and is the only example in the history of the country of a bachelor getting elected; the media and the nature of both politics and the presidency have changed enough that I doubt that could happen now.

    Interestingly sidenote: he was also the last former Secretary of State to become president.

  13. I agree with Sean Hannity that Shrillary cannot win nationaly. Once the American public hears one of her “as uplifting as fingers on a chalkboard” speeches (which he will not be able to resist the temptation to give for an entire campaign period) she’ll be toast!

  14. DO NOT make the mistake of underestimating Hillary. She has a very good chance of winning.

    Perish the thought.

  15. Wasn’t Buchannon a widower?

    Considering that there are many states in the union that haven’t had a female governor, I wouldn’t expect a female president anytime soon. The pattern today seems to be low level federal office, governorship, and then president.

  16. The first female president will be a Republican. Kinda the whole “only Nixon could go to China” type of thing goin’ on.

  17. All old Hil needs to do is convince a few million voters (strategically speaking, even less – much less) that she’s a centrist. She doesn’t need to convince all of the red states. She only needs to convince very small segments of populations in a couple of the red states that are hanging in the balance. She’s already in makeover mode, and she has three years left to complete the job. That’s PLENTY of time to redefine herself sufficiently.

    She only needs to fool some of the people some of the time.

    Conservatives better make a plan to beat this feminazi and quick, IMO. If her candidacy is not taken seriously, we may all be singing “Hail to the Chiefette” in ’08.

  18. I really like Elizabeth Dole for the first woman president. I think Elizabeth could make Hillary look like a raving, you know what, in a national debate.

  19. If her candidacy is not taken seriously, we may all be singing “Hail to the Chiefette” in ’08.

    Actually, in ’09 since the president is sworn in the January after the election.

  20. I really like Elizabeth Dole for the first woman president. I think Elizabeth could make Hillary look like a raving, you know what, in a national debate.

    A sequel to the 1996 election? Clinton V. Dole Part II: The Wives.

  21. If pro-abortion Hillary runs against pro-abortion Guiliani, my vote will go (very reluctantly) to Hillary. I could never vote for a pro-abortion Catholic. I voted for Bush (even though I’m a pro-life Democrat) because he had the right position on the life issues. At least Hillary is in line with her own Church (Methodist) with its soft on abortion policy. But Rudi is pro-abortion to the max.

    Tom Haessler

  22. If pro-abortion Hillary runs against pro-abortion Guiliani, my vote will go (very reluctantly) to Hillary. I could never vote for a pro-abortion Catholic.

    Why not vote third party (writing someone in if necessary)? That’s what I’d do if the choice came down to Hillary, whom I would not vote for as dog catcher, and Giuliani, whom I would never vote for either. Why should we choose between Hitler and Stalin, Sauron and Saruman?

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